The present invention relates to an apparatus for processing sheet-like products, in particular printed products.
An apparatus of this type is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/741,259 (corresponding to EP-A-0 771 754), commonly assigned with the present application. It has a main conveyor that leads past a plurality of feed locations and has a circulating drawing member, on which elongated receiving elements are spaced apart one behind the other. These receiving elements are positioned obliquely with respect to their movement path. The circulatory path of each feed conveyor runs horizontally, in a rectilinear manner, over the main conveyor and past the feed locations. Each feed conveyor has individually controllable clamps that are spaced apart one behind the other on a circulating chain and are intended for transporting sheet-like products in a suspended state. When the clamps are open, the sheet-like products are transferred to the receiving elements of the main conveyor at the feed locations. The circulatory paths run in vertical planes that are perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the receiving elements. The clamps are arranged perpendicular to the circulatory path, and thus parallel to the receiving elements. As a result, the products are fed to the receiving elements from the side.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for processing sheet-like products, in particular printed products, that, while handling the products carefully, permits a high degree of flexibility in the arrangement and design of the main conveyor and the feed conveyors.